Festive floral: N.S. man's massive 26-year-old poinsettia still growing strong

Frankie Allison’s green thumb has baffled Maritime gardeners for over two decades.

The Upper Hammonds Plains, N.S., man is believed to have one of the largest poinsettias, standing at five-and-a-half feet tall and 14-feet-and-five-inches in circumference.

“It was only a little one like you buy in the stores in the green container,” said Allison. “That’s all it was when we got it.”

Poinsettias are native to Mexico, but the plant has become a favourite Christmas decoration for many Canadians.

This particular festive floral holds sentimental value for Allison as it belonged to his late wife, Maxine.

Allison said his wife won it on Christmas Eve in 1996 during a call-in radio contest.

Sadly, she died three days later of a sudden heart attack.

“I was going to give it to the library, but I’m here by myself, so every time I come down here I’d be looking for it,” he said. “I decided I was going to keep it for a while.”

Allison kept his promise -- nurturing the poinsettia for the last 26 years.

CTV Atlantic first visited Allison back in 2017. Since then, he’s had to make some upgrades.

“We had to get a bigger pot. This was the biggest one I could get so far!”

Allison says it used to flower every Christmas, changing its green leaves to red, but it now blossoms later and later every year.

“At one time, at Christmastime, it would be all red, but now it won’t be red until about March.”

Besides watering it a few days a week, Allison says the plant is relatively low maintenance. Allison plans to care for it for many years to come.

“What my granddaughter does with it, well that’s up to her!”